High winds knock out power to thousands locally

DURHAM — Thousands were without power throughout the day Thursday as strong winds and rain caused outages in communities across Southern New Hampshire and Maine.

About 900 Durham residents began the morning without power after high winds knocked down a tree that had fallen near the Madbury substation on Madbury Road.

Public Service of New Hampshire quickly dispatched two crews to the area to restore power to that section of town. Throughout the day as crews worked, the town remained in contact with PSNH to monitor outages and restoration efforts.

By midafternoon the outages had been cleared; however, downed trees and wires in other areas including Technology Drive and Ross Road were closed as a result.

During the day's outages, the Durham Fire Department also responded to a one-alarm structure fire at the former Mill Pond Center for the Arts, currently owned by the Seacoast Repertory Theater.

That incident was brought quickly under control.

Central Maine Power reported more than 40,000 outages, while New Hampshire reportedly had more than 13,000.

In Lee, downed wires closed Route 155 between Lee Hook Road and Love Lane for hours during the afternoon.

Winds as high as 70 mph along with abnormally warm temperatures were recorded Thursday by national weather agencies.

Winds around the New Hampshire Isles of Shoals reached 60 mph offshore.

Heavy fog that had settled into the area on Wednesday had subsided by Thursday providing clearer visibility for motorists.

Debris, felled trees, and downed wires caused problems along many area roadways, however.